Untethered
by JenMorgan27
Summary: A three-shot of missing scenes from Book 1, Air, beginning when Lin wakes up after having her bending taken by Amon. Canon-compliant. Lots of angst and some subtle Linzin feels.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! I've recently begun a long-overdue rewatch of LoK and decided to write a few more missing scenes that have been rolling around in my brain. This set will be a three-shot and takes place during Book One, beginning right after Lin loses her bending. Please be sure to leave a review. I love to see what people think as I try to fill in the gaps for my favorite characters. Thanks, and I hope you like it!

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Weightless.

The first thing that registered in Lin's groggy mind was that she felt weightless. Slowly coming to, and with her eyes still closed, she pictured herself floating among soft, white clouds, miles above the ground. Nothing pulling her one way or another. No tethers. No connections. It was far from her element, but somehow still felt comfortable. Serene, even.

She envisioned herself this way, suspended high above the sea, her arms outstretched and her hair fluttering around her face. She watched her own eyes slowly open, blinking in the sunlight and taking in her surroundings. At first glance, she appeared to be completely alone up there, with no other trace of human existence in sight. However, as she focused, she could just make out a small shape retreating into the distant clouds. The shape looked vaguely familiar, but it took a moment for the image clicked into place in her mind.

 _A sky bison_ , she thought. Then it all came rushing back. _Tenzin! The kids!_

And suddenly she was falling, her trance broken by the vivid images now flashing through her mind. Airships pursuing them. The airbenders. The children's frightened faces. Pema and her tiny baby. Tenzin, just trying to protect them all.

Lin jerked into consciousness with a huge gasp, but the falling sensation continued. She looked around in confusion and fear, trying to understand where she was and what was happening. It took several seconds, but she eventually gained her bearings enough to register that she was not, in fact, falling from the sky. She was actually alone in dark cell, laying on the dusty bottom mattress of an old bunk bed.

Ever the police officer, she quickly tried to sit up and assess the situation, but discovered a dull, pounding pain in her head that she had not noticed before. Instead she propped herself on one elbow and began to massage her forehead and temples with her other hand. Her back and joints were also stiff and aching, as if she'd recently come out on the losing side of a fight, and there was still that inexplicable fluttering in her chest, as if she was falling through air. Lin had never experienced anything like it in her life and it was that feeling that worried her more than anything.

Exhausted by even those small movements, Lin laid her head back on the faded mattress and tried to remember exactly what had happened and how she could have gotten there. Closing her eyes once more, she could picture herself flying on a cable toward the nearest airship. She felt grim satisfaction as she remembered the damage she'd caused, but then felt the memory of instant, excruciating pain coursing through her body. She'd been electrocuted by Amon's henchmen.

 _Amon_. The image of a hooded, rainsoaked figure in a pale, eerie mask flashed across her mind. Lin's heart lurched and she felt her blood run cold in her veins. She suddenly understood the fluttering, weightless sensation she was still experiencing.

Her bending. It was gone. Just _gone_.

Where before Lin had felt as if she was falling, the horror of this realization felt like slamming into the ground, her heart breaking and her lungs collapsing.

She couldn't feel _anything_. Only now that she had fully awakened to the awful new reality did Lin understand the sensation. While she could physically feel the mattress beneath her, and logically knew that it must be held up by the bed frame, which was in turn supported by the floorboards, the foundation, and the earth beneath that, she couldn't _feel_ any of it. Not the way she always had. The rhythms of the world around her were still and silent, and Lin felt a sudden sense of deafness and vulnerability.

Her fading vision of floating and clouds now made perfect sense. She was untethered. She had lost her most fundamental connection to the world around her. The one she'd always relied upon most and the one she'd given up so much for.

Gasping for air and trying to stave off an impending panic attack, Lin rolled off the lower bunk and stood up. Doing so felt like pressing hot knives into her eyes and temples, but she forced herself to swallow the bile that had risen in her throat and leaned heavily into the top bunk. She stood like that for several seconds, pressing her eyes into the crook of her elbow until the room stopped spinning and little stars stopped pinwheeling across her field of vision.

She tried to ignore the wetness in her eyes and began to pace across the room, from one set of bunks to the other and back again, trying to focus on taking deep, measured breaths. _This is not the end of the world_ , she repeated to herself. _Half the population lives happily without bending. Isn't that the point that psychopath is trying to make here?_

Lin could not suppress her fury at the thought of Amon and reacted instinctively, punching forward toward the iron bars of her prison. A small, stupidly optimistic part of her had almost expected the metal to burst apart and free her from her cage, but nothing happened. It was at that moment that Lin felt truly defeated, for the first time in many years.

Her head aching more than ever, she slumped back onto the bunk she'd risen from and stared across at the unforgiving metal. Peering through the bars, she realized that she'd been in this prison before. The cell across the corridor from hers was identical in shape, size, and furnishings. The only noticeable difference, beside the fact that it was empty, was a large gap in the metal bars. It was a gap Lin herself had created only a day before, when she had pulled the bars apart with ease and freed her officers. There was little doubt in her mind that Amon had ordered her to be confined in that specific cell. He would have known that the visual reminder of Lin's former abilities would serve as an extra dose of salt on her wounds.

 _Yes, people live normal lives without bending_ , she thought bitterly, turning away from the cell opposite, _but they don't have the name "Beifong" following them around or a bending career they've dedicated their entire lives to._ She pictured her mother in the prime of her policing days and almost laughed aloud. _Oh, what Toph would say now._

This thought would have been almost too much to bear, but Lin checked herself. She knew deep down that her mother would not really think any less of her because she was no longer an earthbender, especially considering the circumstances in which she had lost her ability. No, Toph would have sacrificed anything to protect the innocent, especially her friends, and would expect nothing less from either of her daughters.

For the first time since waking in this cell, Lin felt a small amount of calm come over her. Picturing that family of airbenders, three small children trying to be brave, a mother clutching her helpless newborn to her chest, and the man who had once been Lin's closest friend and confidant, Lin knew she would have made the same choice again. She was surprised to find how much relief that realization brought her. It was one thing to lose her bending, but at least she could move forward knowing that she had no regrets.

Bolstered by this thought, Lin closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. Then she stood once again and faced the bars that held her captive. She may not be able to bend her way out anymore, but she knew that Amon and his lackeys likely had more in store for her.

Bending or no bending, Lin Beifong would take none of it lying down.

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There it is! Please be sure to tell me what you think so far! I'm hoping to have the second part of this three-shot up in the next week or so. Thanks for reading!

Another quick note: I had previously posted this first chapter with another set of LoK one-shots, but I decided to post separately instead so I can be more specific in my character tagging. So, if the first chapter seems familiar, that's why. Sorry about that.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Welcome to part 2 of this three-shot. This chapter was tricky, but I really enjoyed writing some one-on-one Lin/Tenzin interaction. (Big Linzin fan here, clearly.) Please let me know how you like it! :)

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Lin Beifong could no longer manipulate earth or metal with her mind, but that most definitely was not stopping her from cutting a groove in the floor of her cell with her feet. She had paced back and forth hundreds of times since she'd woken up there hours before, trying to remain sharp and find a way to escape her prison.

She had only seen one Equalist guard pass through so far. It had been a short, squirrelly man who had done his best to avoid looking at Lin as he passed by. And now he was back for a second time, setting a canteen on the ground just outside the bars of her cell.

"What is happening?" Lin demanded. "Why am I being held here?"

Instead of answering, the guard cast a frightened look her way and backed away from the cell. Knowing she was unlikely to get much information from this obvious rookie, Lin decided to take out just a little bit of her frustration on him. Narrowing her eyes and clenching her fists, Lin made a show of planting her left foot firmly on the ground in an obvious fighting stance and then slowly raising her right foot.

The guard tripped over himself as he scrambled away. He was halfway down the corridor before Lin's foot even hit the ground. Lin couldn't keep the smirk from her face as she picked up the canteen and sat back on the bunk. True, she was a prisoner. And true, her bending had been taken. It was nice to see that they still found her intimidating anyway.

Still smirking, she stepped forward and bent down to pick up the canteen. A sudden crash came from down the hall, the direction the guard had retreated, and she shot up again, grabbing onto the bars and trying to see what was happening. Sounds of scuffling were followed by a loud yell and Lin drew back in surprise as the guard flew through the air in front of her and crashed onto the ground. Tripping over himself again, he bolted in the opposite direction from his attacker. The slam of a door told Lin that the guard was probably deserting his post for good and she turned eagerly toward the approaching footsteps.

She soon caught the unmistakable sight of red and gold robes. Tenzin was walking quickly down the hall, glancing from side to side as he checked each cell.

"Tenzin!" Lin exclaimed. He started at the sound and rushed to her cell, grabbing the bars. "Lin!" he said with obvious relief. "Thank goodness. We've been looking for you _everywhere_!"

"What are you doing here?" Lin demanded as he caught his breath. "You're supposed to be escaping with your family!"

"We tried," he said as he examined the lock on the cell door. "Our safehouse was compromised. Amon had a few of his men there waiting for us." The color drained from his face as he continued. "With Pema and the baby there… well, there was only so much we could do to fight back."

Lin did not miss the hint of shame in Tenzin's voice and she felt her own chest constrict. It had all been for nothing. And Jinora and Ikki and Meelo—they were just _kids_. "No," she whispered, shaking her head as her eyes began to sting. "Please tell me he didn't."

"It's alright," Tenzin said quickly, seeing the look on her face. He put a reassuring hand on hers, which was still gripping one of the bars. "It's all over. He tried to make a spectacle of taking our bending at the arena, but Korra stopped him."

Releasing her hand again, Tenzin knelt in front of the lock and used two fingers to create a powerful, focused jet of air that he directed into the keyhole. A high pitched whistle filled the room as the air escaped from the locking mechanism. "He did manage to take Korra's bending though," he added sadly. "All but her airbending."

Lin felt her heart sink again just as the final tumbler clicked. She watched the door swing open and there was Tenzin, giving her the saddest look she'd seen in a long time. "I take it he took yours as well," he said.

It wasn't a question. If it had been, it would have been a stupid one. They both knew he would not have found Lin in a cell if she'd had her bending.

"Yes," she said quietly, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

And then he was hugging her, there in the doorway of her cell, holding her like he hadn't in well over a decade. Lin froze, her eyes wide, and arms held awkwardly at her sides. She could not believe that something that had once been so natural could now feel so foreign. He held her tightly and as the shock of the embrace faded, all the emotions Lin had experienced since deciding to leap from Oogi's back came flooding over her again. The determination, pain, frustration, fear, anger, and grief multiplied tenfold and the building pressure in her head and chest made her feel dizzy. So she let herself give in for just a moment, closing her watering eyes and leaning in, her numb hands holding tightly to the back of his robes.

"I am so, so sorry, Lin," Tenzin said, bringing one hand up to cup the back of her head. "I will never be able to repay what you did."

Lin could not speak even if she had known what to say, but that didn't matter. Tenzin seemed just fine with standing there in silence. He didn't even comment when a single, silent sob tore through her; he just held her more tightly.

It was several long seconds later when Lin finally took a deep breath and relaxed her grip on the back of Tenzin's shirt. Shaking her arms out from under his flowing red cloak, she hastily wiped any traces of moisture from her eyes and avoided the concerned look he was still giving her. Then he watched her visibly straighten, take one more cleansing breath, and march out of the cell. Tenzin followed with a sad smile.

"So Korra stopped him?" Lin asked as they walked down the hall. "How?"

"With airbending," Tenzin replied. "Apparently she was finally able to unlock that ability after he took her other bending. She blasted him out of one of the upper windows of the arena and into the harbor. The entire crowd watched him waterbend and turned against him. He's on the run now."

"He's a waterbender?" Lin asked incredulously.

"And a bloodbender," Tenzin said gravely. "According to Korra, his real name is Noatak. He is Tarrlok's brother and Yakone taught them both how to bloodbend. It would seem that that's how he—" He cast a sideways look at Lin. Her expression was set and she was gritting her teeth. "—how he does it," he finished quickly. "Korra and Mako had found Tarrlok locked up in an attic in the air temple. By the time we got back there, he was gone. We think Amon must have gone back for him before fleeing. Saikhan has officers looking for both of them."

Lin was lost in thought for several seconds and they made their way through the network of tunnels and back to the surface.

"And now Korra's lost her bending, too," Lin finally said. "What does that mean for the Avatar Cycle?"

"I'm not sure," Tenzin said. "Because it was done through bloodbending, it might not affect the next Avatar. The fact that she still has airbending gives me a little bit of hope."

Lin knew the uncertainty about future avatars must be torturous for Tenzin, who had constantly felt the weight of keeping his father's legacy alive since Aang had died. It was a feeling she could empathize with.

"We're going to the South Pole," Tenzin continued, sounding a little more hopeful. "If anyone can help Korra, or reverse the damage Amon has done, it's my mother."

He pulled a bison whistle from inside his robes and called for Oogi. Then, as they turned to watch the approaching sky bison, he put a hand on Lin's shoulder. "You should come with us, Lin," he said seriously.

She met his gaze and tried to reign in the small flicker of hope that had sprung up in her chest. Katara was the best healer in the world. And really, what was keeping her in Republic City now?

"Alright."

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There it is! :) Remember to leave a review and let me know what you think. Nothing helps me feel motivated more than knowing people are enjoying what I've written so far. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Welcome to the third and final chapter of this three-shot. This chapter ended up much longer than I'd expected, but once I got started it sort of just kept on going. I hope you like it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks!

Also, bold text describes action and dialogue taken directly from the show, which I do not own. Just so we're all clear on that.

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 **"It's going to be alright, Korra," Tenzin said. No one else seemed able to say anything.**

 **"No," Korra replied. "It's not." Then she walked across the room without meeting anyone's eyes, took her parka off the coat hook, and walked out of the hut. Mako hesitated for a moment, then followed after her, closing the door behind him.**

A somber silence fell over the hut again and everyone returned to their seats, unsure of what to do next. Feeling a numbness that had nothing to do with the chill that had filled the room, Lin had turned to take her seat as well when she felt a light touch on her arm.

"Lin," Katara said, "why don't you come in here for a moment?"

Lin felt too tired and defeated to reply, so she followed the older woman into the exam room without protest. If Katara couldn't help Korra, though, Lin doubted that anything could be done to restore her own bending.

Katara gestured toward a small table with two chairs in the far corner and closed the door as Lin crossed the room and sat down. Lin watched as the matronly woman went about preparing a pot of tea at a small stove. It had been a few years since she'd seen Katara, but Lin found a small amount of comfort in how little she seemed to have changed. She had earned a few more wrinkles, and maybe even lost another inch or two of height, but Katara's calming, motherly presence was the same as ever.

"I'm not sure what you think you can try, Katara," Lin began as Katara set a small tea tray on the table, "but I doubt anything that didn't restore the Avatar's bending will work on mine."

Katara passed Lin an empty cup from the tray, and then took one for herself without responding. With a slight flick of her fingers, a stream of hot tea jetted from the spout of the teapot, split into two, and neatly filled each cup. Lin wrapped her hands around the cup and breathed in the familiar fragrance.

"I'm sorry, Lin. I know you must be as disappointed as Korra is," Katara said.

Lin didn't respond right away, but stared down into the cup that was warming her hands. What was there to say?

"I knew it was long shot," she finally admitted with a sigh. "I had tried not to get my hopes up coming here, but I guess I failed."

"It's only natural," Katara said, taking one of Lin's hands in her own. "I'd be happy to try what I tried on Korra, but I wanted to talk to you first."

Lin registered that she normally would pull away from physical contact like this, but it didn't really seem to bother her now. She forced herself to meet the older woman's kind eyes. "Look, Katara," she said, "it's really alright. I'll be fine."

Katara smiled warmly, still holding Lin's hand in her own. "I know you will, Linny," she said. "You always were the toughest of all of our kids—the most independent."

Lin did not like the knowing expression in Katara's eyes. The old waterbender was clearly seeing through her attempts to hold it together. She also caught the emphasis Katara had placed on the word "independent." She might as well have called Lin what she was, a loner. Even when she and Tenzin had been inseparable, Lin had always been a self-reliant person and always played her emotions close to the vest.

"Tenzin told me about how it happened," Katara continued, more gravely now, "and what you did for him and his family."

Lin tried to deflect, pulling her hand away and taking a quick sip of her tea as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's my—," she began, and then caught herself. "It _was_ my job."

"I know, Lin. I know," Katara said. She took both of Lin's hands in her own now, effectively forcing the younger woman to reluctantly meet her gaze. "I just want you to know how proud I am of you," she said sternly. "I know you probably think your decisions and actions sometimes went unnoticed, but I have _always_ been proud of you. And whatever happens next," she squeezed Lin's hands for emphasis, "I know that you will _still_ make me, your mother, and all of us _so_ proud."

Lin felt her throat constrict and her eyes fill with tears, which she rapidly tried to blink away. She could only offer a small smile in return, which probably looked like more of a grimace, and hope that it conveyed the gratitude she felt. Luckily, Katara didn't seem to expect a reply. She simply stood, still holding onto Lin's hands, and pulled her up and into a quick, tight embrace. Trying to regain her composure, Lin returned the hug a little awkwardly, bending to compensate for the difference in height. _So many unexpected hugs lately_ , she thought with a sigh.

However, she could not deny that she now felt a little lighter than when she'd walked into the room. Katara had really always had that effect on her. When Lin was a child and Toph had been distracted with work or Suyin, she had often found herself gravitating toward Tenzin's mother, who had always seemed able to make time for her, despite having her own set of rambunctious children.

Lin was drawn out of this brief reverie when Katara pulled away and fixed her with another warm smile. Then the older woman turned toward her examination table and clapped her hands together matter-of-factly. "Now," she said. "Why don't we see what we can do?"

Lin took the opportunity to quickly wipe her eyes and compose herself while Katara's back was turned. Then, taking a deep breath, she walked across to the table and sat down.

"You'll need to take your breastplate and sleeves off," Katara said as she pulled a stream of water from a large tub nearby. "And then go ahead and lie down."

Lin did as she was told, trying not to think about how much easier removing her armor had been just a few days earlier. Once she was lying down, she tried to relax her tense limbs as Katara began to manipulate the water around her, starting at the tips of her fingers before moving up her arms, across her torso, and up to her temples and forehead.

It was the best feeling. The water brought a warm, soothing sensation and Lin felt aches she hadn't realized she'd had melt away. It was also a sign of Katara's skill that as the water moved from one area to another, it left her skin and clothing completely dry. Lin had visited doctors and healers (many of whom had left her with drenched clothes and chattering teeth) numerous times throughout her life, usually due to minor injuries sustained on the job. During none of those other times, however, had so much been hanging in the balance. She again had to sternly remind herself to keep her hopes in check. What Amon did could very easily be permanent.

Suddenly a surprising thought occurred to her and Lin couldn't believe she had not made the connection earlier. Katara was not only the best healer in the world. She also had another skill, one that was much more rare.

"Katara," Lin began slowly." Amon used bloodbending to do this. Do you think bloodbending could be used to reverse it?"

Katara hesitated and Lin watched her carefully, wondering whether she'd offended her by suggesting it. Katara had famously campaigned to outlaw the practice in the earliest days of the United Republic and Lin could not blame her for being repulsed at the idea.

Lin was feeling a little desperate, however, so she powered on. "I know the ethics of it would be a bit—questionable, but the full moon is only a week or so away, right? Wouldn't it be worth trying?"

Katara had finished with the stream of water and bent it back into the basin without answering. When she turned back, Lin was surprised at the expression on her weathered face. She looked almost guilty. Katara pulled a nearby stool closer and sat down as Lin sat up and turned so her legs hung off the table.

"I wasn't lying when I said I'd tried _everything_ in my power to heal Korra," she finally said, looking down at her folded hands.

Lin didn't immediately understand what she meant. Had Katara already used bloodbending to try to heal Korra? How would that have been possible? They had all just arrived at the South Pole earlier that day, and as Lin had said, the full moon was still over a week away.

"You…you can bloodbend without the full moon? Like Amon and Tarrlok and—"

"And Yakone," Katara finished for her. "I couldn't always, and I had really only done any kind of bloodbending the—the one time when I was a girl. We were in the Fire Nation and met Hama, and—well, you know that story."

Lin did know the story of the bloodbender Hama. Not only had she, Tenzin, and the others absorbed every detail of their parents' adventures when they were children, but Katara's testimony about Hama had also been instrumental in banning bloodbending. The story was now public record. Something in Katara's voice, however, struck Lin as odd. She wondered if the older woman had possibly left something out.

"After that trial, though..." Katara continued, suddenly seeming distant. "So many people were hurt."

She turned to face Lin again, even more serious. "Bloodbending is an unnatural phenomenon, Lin, and it can do more damage than just turning the victim into an unwilling puppet. Blood is meant to flow unimpeded throughout the body, and interrupting or altering that flow can have major internal consequences."

Lin was surprised at the underlying anger in the older woman's voice, and knew she was catching a brief glimpse at the young, fierce Katara who had fought alongside her mother, Sokka, and Aang.

"The other healers and I worked with the people in that courtroom for hours after Aang had finally stopped Yakone," Katara continued. "Sokka was a little the worse for wear, and Aang was very sore, but there had also been many attending the trial who were older and not as strong."

She gave Lin a sideways glance. "Your mother was actually one of the worst off," she added, nodding at Lin's look of surprise. "Based on what Aang told me afterward, she was under Yakone's power longer than a lot of the others, and he manipulated her much more. I believe he pulled her across the room and forced her to unlock his handcuffs before knocking her out, and her reliance on seismic sense probably made her more sensitive to the effects than the others."

Lin had a hard time picturing her mother in that situation, under someone else's control and completely vulnerable. The thought made her own blood run cold.

"When she came around, the first thing Toph said to me was that she was pregnant again," Katara continued gravely. "It was very early and she had only just realized it a day or two before. We were both terrified that Yakone's attack had harmed the baby or would cause her to miscarry."

A small smile flashed across her face, though Lin could not imagine why until she went on. "You were probably too young to remember any of this, Linny, but Sokka, Aang, and I bullied your mother into staying on the island for a few days so I could keep an eye on her. You were so excited to have such a long sleepover with the other kids," she added fondly. "And that tiny heartbeat never did falter. Little Suyin was perfectly healthy when she finally arrived."

Lin did remember that time well. She and Tenzin had explored more of the island than she'd ever seen before and had a great time following Kya and Bumi around. Looking back with this new context added, she could also remember that her mother had seemed a bit different—more tired and subdued, maybe—but she never would have made the connection to either Yakone's trial or her pregnancy with Su.

"Anyway," Katara said, returning from her tangent, "after the trial, I was determined to not let anyone be hurt in that way again if I could help it. I wanted to be ready in case someone else developed the same abilities as Yakone."

Katara looked down at her own hands and began to massage her left with her right, a mischievous twinkle glinting in her eye. "I began to practice on myself. It took a while to be sure that I was actually bending the blood in my hand, rather than just moving it." She gave a small chuckle. "After a few months of carefully practicing here and there, I was able to bend my own blood. After a couple of years, I could do it at any time, probably not with the same power as Yakone, but enough to help lessen or reverse the effects of bloodbending, or to restrain another bloodbender."

There was a pause while Lin absorbed this information. Not only was she surprised at this revelation about a woman she had known her whole life, but she was also a little surprised that Katara was telling her all of this. "Wow," she said eventually. "I hadn't known that about you, Katara."

"Aang was the only person I ever told, until now of course," Katara said. Lin thought she seemed a little relieved to be sharing the secret she'd kept for so long.

"He didn't like it, but I think he understood. He even suggested that I practice on him, instead of myself, but that was not going to happen." She paused before reflecting, "Actually, today was the first time I'd used bloodbending on another person in a long, long time, and Korra might not have even realized that that's what I was doing."

Katara looked back at Lin, all seriousness again. "It didn't work on Korra's bending, Lin, but I will still try it on you, only if you want me to."

Lin didn't even hesitate. This was her last chance. She looked into the other woman's kind eyes and gave a curt nod. "Please," she said. "Please try, Katara."

Katara nodded and stood while Lin lay back on the table again. Lin felt her heart rate quicken as Katara placed her thumbs on Lin's forehead and collarbone, her expression screwed up in concentration and her eyes closed. Lin closed her own eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the anticipation and anxiety she was feeling.

It took Lin a moment to realize that Katara had already started. This feeling was very different than it had been when Amon took her bending. If Lin was remembering it correctly, that time had felt a bit like a mallet slamming into her forehead. The pressure she was feeling now was much more gentle and though Lin was starting to feel a bit lightheaded, she didn't think she would pass out this time. No matter how hard she tried, however, Lin could not tell whether Katara's bloodbending was working.

After a few seconds of increasing pressure, Katara let her arms fall to her sides and sighed in defeat. Sitting down again, she placed a hand on Lin's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lin," she said.

Lin did not immediately open her eyes. Instead, she lay very still and tried with everything she had to feel out and manipulate the small pieces of metal and stone in the room around her. It was no use. The pieces of her armor that sat on the floor next to the table, the mortar and pestle on a nearby sideboard, and the metal bands that held the wooden tub together all remained motionless. Lin couldn't feel or bend anything.

She opened her eyes and was a little surprised to find them dry. Her disappointment was now past the point of tears, apparently. "It's alright, Katara," she said quietly as she sat up again. "Thank you for trying."

Katara nodded and watched sadly as Lin stood and put her armor back on. When Lin had finished with the last clasps, she straightened slowly and turned to walk from the room. Katara put a hand on the younger woman's shoulder once more, making her pause. "Remember what I said, Lin," she said as Lin turned back again. "We are all still proud of you, and you're going to come through this stronger than—"

Katara's words were interrupted by an abrupt shout that came from the next room. Both women turned in alarm and Lin instinctively rushed to the door. Sliding it open, she was surprised to see that Korra and Mako had returned and were standing at the other end of the hut, and that Korra was smiling from ear to ear as she spoke to Tenzin.

"I saw him, Tenzin!" she exclaimed. "He appeared and spoke to me. He restored my bending!"

Tenzin was dumbfounded. "You saw my—You saw Aang?" he asked.

Lin's jaw dropped and she felt a hand suddenly grasping her wrist. She turned to see Katara staring at the young Avatar with wide and shining eyes, a joyous smile lighting up her lined face. Katara didn't seem to even notice that she had reached out and was tightly gripping Lin's arm.

"Yes!" Korra said urgently. "That's what I'm telling you. I finally connected to my spiritual side; Aang returned my bending."

A sudden thought seemed to strike Korra and she looked around the room, searching among the faces. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin still standing in the doorway.

"I think I can help you too, Chief," she said, crossing the room in a few long strides.

Lin was speechless as the young woman beamed at her and Katara in turn. "Aang showed me how," Korra said, smiling at Katara. The older woman nodded, her eyes brimming.

Then everyone in the room was looking at Lin, waiting for her to respond. Lin's mind was racing. A part of her worried that this new revelation from the Avatar would just be the latest installment of her hopes lifting and then being dashed, and she wasn't sure she could take another disappointment.

However, looking into Korra's hopeful face, Lin thought of the last Avatar she had known. Aang had been like a father to her, and as she pictured his kind grey eyes and warm smile, she knew that this time would be different. Aang had never let her down before. This time, it was going to work.

"Okay, kid," she said with a small smile. "Let's give it a try."

* * *

There it is! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and especially exploring Katara's backstory and thoughts a bit more. I've always liked Katara, but I'd never really felt the urge to dive deeper into her story before until now. It was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoyed this three-shot. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

If you'd like to read another set of missing Beifong scenes, check out my story, Old Wounds, New Wounds, which picks up right after Lin's and Su's sparring match in Zaofu. Thanks!


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